Palestinian citizens of Israel face intimidation after election success

After Israel officially certified the election results, Palestinian-led parties—the Joint List and the United Arab List (Ra’am)—secured a record 19 seats. Their gains could help the opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu form the next government if it chooses to cooperate with the Arab parties. Meanwhile, Palestinian citizens have faced aggressive police raids, arbitrary arrests, and targeted interrogations, while Netanyahu and his allies have questioned the legitimacy of the parties’ increased vote share. Analyst Mamoun Abu Amer said the backlash was preplanned after heavy turnout among Arab voters.